Wilson's new deal on hold
May 27, 2011 00:05:00
Damien Cox
Sports Columnist
Two months ago, when Brian Burke was telling one and all that Ron Wilson would most certainly be behind the Maple Leaf bench next season, it was indicated and expected that a contract extension for the veteran coach would follow. Well, it hasn't. And it won't. Wilson, sources say, won't get more years on his already lucrative deal for a 56th birthday present on Saturday — and if he does eventually get an extension from the Leafs before his contract expires on June 30, 2012, he's clearly going to have to earn it by winning hockey games with far greater consistency than in his first three seasons at the Air Canada Centre. Once, having a “lame duck” coach working in the final year of his contract would have been anathema to Burke. But something changed. Maybe the Leaf president/GM looked more closely at his team's situation and Wilson's performance, and reassessed his position. Maybe the corporate landscape around him shifted. The Leaf boss had to have been watching with interest over the course of the NBA season as his basketball counterpart within Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, Bryan Colangelo, twisted in the wind without a new contract beyond the conclusion of the NBA season. When the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan later put their majority stake in MLSE on the auction block without Colangelo getting a new deal, the intrigue deepened. Earlier this month, the drama ended when Colangelo signed his name to a relatively lean extension, two years plus one more at the club's option. The message to Colangelo was clear: we want results, and we're not about to tie the hands of a new owner. Burke isn't in that position himself. But his coach is, or will be next season. As a rule, Burke has believed a coach, in order to have the confidence and support of his players, needs the backing of the team beyond the current season. In other words, if you give the players even the slightest scent that the coach is easily disposable, they'll tune him out at the first bump in the road. But with MLSE in flux, the support may not be there for Wilson after three straight seasons of missing the playoffs, winning 101 games and losing 145 in either regulation, shootout or overtime. Yes, with 619 career victories, Wilson is seventh on the all-time NHL wins list, one behind Bryan Murray. But there are also 533 career losses, a figure that balloons to 617 defeats if you count the ones in shootouts and OT. There are 101 ties in there as well. In 17 coaching seasons, Wilson's teams have missed the playoffs nine times, lost in the first round twice and made it past the second round twice, once to the 1998 Stanley Cup final. His playoff record is 47-48. Throw in winning the '96 World Cup with Team USA and a silver-medal finish with the Americans at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, and you have a decidedly mixed bag of results when it comes to the Leaf coach, who is at or near the top of the pay scale for NHL coaches. Does Wilson need an extension to be able to do his job properly? His experience and substantial reputation in the sport mean he doesn't; clearly Burke now believes that as well, or doesn't believe the MLSE corporate environment allows for any largesse to be extended to Wilson at this time. Colangelo had to manage the Raptors without a safety net, and ultimately got a new deal despite a lousy season. New York Rangers head coach John Tortorella worked last season in the final year of his contract, although it was revealed after the Blueshirts were eliminated that the club and coach had negotiated a new three-year deal sometime during the winter. That's the scenario likely to unfold here, unless the Leafs get off to such a terrible start that Burke finally has no choice but to make a change after steadfastly standing behind Wilson, his old college pal. Burke didn't hire Wilson but he believes in him, doesn't believe the team quit on the coach last season and interprets the Leafs' strong play in the final three months as evidence of a coaching staff making progress with a young team. At the same time, Burke knows the win-loss numbers, and he knows that in three years the club has finished 30th, 30th and 28th in penalty killing and 16th, 30th and 22nd on the power play. Burke has turned this team inside out and he can't do it again for this coach. So, no extension. Not now. Perhaps in December, or next winter. But Wilson's got to get there first. Asif Khan, Sales Representative
Member of Re/Max Hall of Fame
Re/Max All-Stars Realty Inc., Brokerage
905-888-6222
May 27, 2011 00:05:00
Damien Cox
Sports Columnist
Two months ago, when Brian Burke was telling one and all that Ron Wilson would most certainly be behind the Maple Leaf bench next season, it was indicated and expected that a contract extension for the veteran coach would follow. Well, it hasn't. And it won't. Wilson, sources say, won't get more years on his already lucrative deal for a 56th birthday present on Saturday — and if he does eventually get an extension from the Leafs before his contract expires on June 30, 2012, he's clearly going to have to earn it by winning hockey games with far greater consistency than in his first three seasons at the Air Canada Centre. Once, having a “lame duck” coach working in the final year of his contract would have been anathema to Burke. But something changed. Maybe the Leaf president/GM looked more closely at his team's situation and Wilson's performance, and reassessed his position. Maybe the corporate landscape around him shifted. The Leaf boss had to have been watching with interest over the course of the NBA season as his basketball counterpart within Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, Bryan Colangelo, twisted in the wind without a new contract beyond the conclusion of the NBA season. When the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan later put their majority stake in MLSE on the auction block without Colangelo getting a new deal, the intrigue deepened. Earlier this month, the drama ended when Colangelo signed his name to a relatively lean extension, two years plus one more at the club's option. The message to Colangelo was clear: we want results, and we're not about to tie the hands of a new owner. Burke isn't in that position himself. But his coach is, or will be next season. As a rule, Burke has believed a coach, in order to have the confidence and support of his players, needs the backing of the team beyond the current season. In other words, if you give the players even the slightest scent that the coach is easily disposable, they'll tune him out at the first bump in the road. But with MLSE in flux, the support may not be there for Wilson after three straight seasons of missing the playoffs, winning 101 games and losing 145 in either regulation, shootout or overtime. Yes, with 619 career victories, Wilson is seventh on the all-time NHL wins list, one behind Bryan Murray. But there are also 533 career losses, a figure that balloons to 617 defeats if you count the ones in shootouts and OT. There are 101 ties in there as well. In 17 coaching seasons, Wilson's teams have missed the playoffs nine times, lost in the first round twice and made it past the second round twice, once to the 1998 Stanley Cup final. His playoff record is 47-48. Throw in winning the '96 World Cup with Team USA and a silver-medal finish with the Americans at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, and you have a decidedly mixed bag of results when it comes to the Leaf coach, who is at or near the top of the pay scale for NHL coaches. Does Wilson need an extension to be able to do his job properly? His experience and substantial reputation in the sport mean he doesn't; clearly Burke now believes that as well, or doesn't believe the MLSE corporate environment allows for any largesse to be extended to Wilson at this time. Colangelo had to manage the Raptors without a safety net, and ultimately got a new deal despite a lousy season. New York Rangers head coach John Tortorella worked last season in the final year of his contract, although it was revealed after the Blueshirts were eliminated that the club and coach had negotiated a new three-year deal sometime during the winter. That's the scenario likely to unfold here, unless the Leafs get off to such a terrible start that Burke finally has no choice but to make a change after steadfastly standing behind Wilson, his old college pal. Burke didn't hire Wilson but he believes in him, doesn't believe the team quit on the coach last season and interprets the Leafs' strong play in the final three months as evidence of a coaching staff making progress with a young team. At the same time, Burke knows the win-loss numbers, and he knows that in three years the club has finished 30th, 30th and 28th in penalty killing and 16th, 30th and 22nd on the power play. Burke has turned this team inside out and he can't do it again for this coach. So, no extension. Not now. Perhaps in December, or next winter. But Wilson's got to get there first. Asif Khan, Sales Representative
Member of Re/Max Hall of Fame
Re/Max All-Stars Realty Inc., Brokerage
905-888-6222
Posted via email from Markham Real Estate Today with Asif Khan
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